As is now well-known, the Vienna State Opera Orchestra/Vienna Philharmonic
nominally ended its long tradition of excluding women on February 27, 1997.
These changes were made one day before the orchestra traveled to Carnegie
Hall, where it was facing large protests by the International Alliance for
Women in Music, The National Organization of Women, and a great deal of
negative press coverage.[1]

The orchestra began by allowing Anna Lelkes --their woman harpist who had
already performed with them in an "associate status" for 26 years--
to become an official member of the Vienna Philharmonic. (Male harpists are
rare, so the orchestra has always had to use women for that instrument.) Ms.
Lelkes was forced into retirement four years later, even though she wanted to
continue working.(Pic: New York
protest in front of Carnegie Hall in 1997.)

So what is the balance for women after ten years? The answers provided here
are in two parts. The first looks at the current ratios between men and women
in the orchestra. The second takes a detailed look at how one of the women has
been treated, the first violinist, Ms. XXX. (To protect her identity and
future career path I have removed Ms. XXX's real name from this article.
For further information researchers and journalists can contact
me.) Together they give a sense of
how the gender culture in the Vienna Philharmonic is evolving.

Part I: Little Or No Change

There has been no change in the m/f ratios in the Vienna Philharmonic in
the last ten years. They still have only one woman member. And she is still a
harpist, Charlotte Balzereit.[2]

And the orchestra's opera formation has fared little better. Only six women
have been hired, but two were fired after their trial year.[3] So after ten
years:

The
m/f ratio for the Vienna Philharmonic is 136 to 1.

The
m/f ratio for regular contracts in the Vienna State Opera Orchestra is 141
to 4.

The
rate of dismissal for the few women hired is 33%, over six times higher
than for men.

An Estimate for the Number of New Hires

The Vienna State Opera has yet to answer repeated inquiries about how many
men have been hired in the last ten years, so exact m/f ratios for new hires
are not possible at this time. (When I receive the numbers I will update this
report with exact percentages.)

It is possible, however, to make reasonably accurate estimates based on
information at hand. One can safely say that between 30 to 40 positions have
been filled since 1997.[4] The m/f ratio for new members with permanent
contracts in the State Opera Orchestra is thus approximately 35 to 4. By
comparison, during the same period, the Zurich State Opera filled 20 of 30
free positions with women.[6]

And the m/f ratio for new members who have completed the three year tenure
to become members of the Vienna Philharmonic is approximately 22 to 1. Over 20
times as many men have become members, even though women represent 62% of the
instrumental classes at Vienna's University of Music and Performing Arts. [5]

With between 30 to 40 positions filled since February of 1997, the Vienna
Philharmonic should have been able to make more than one woman a member. These
numbers illustrate that the orchestra continues to discriminate while using
tokenism and delays to disguise its actions. As one Philharmonic string player
noted in a recent interview, "Three women [in the opera formation] are
already too many. By the time we have twenty percent, the orchestra will be
ruined. We have made a big mistake, and will bitterly regret it."[6]
(Pic: Former Philharmonic Press Speaker Wolfgang Schuster
announcing the entry of women in 1997.)

Race: The Other Unspoken Problem

Women are not the only people who face exclusion in the Vienna State Opera
Orchestra/Vienna Philharmonic. The ensemble's traditions also include the
exclusion of visible members of racial minorities - though here too the
orchestra is at least nominally addressing these practices. The policy of
whites-only has been directed mostly toward Asians, since many study in Vienna
where they have reached the highest professional standards.[7]

In the last ten years, the orchestra has hired its first two people of
color, but one of them was fired, the tubist Yasuto Sugiyama.[8] This makes
the ratio for people of color 147 to 1 in the State Opera Orchestra, and 136
to 1 in the Philharmonic. (And perhaps it's relevant to note that one person
of color is only half Asian.) The dismissal rate for people of color is thus
50%.

Mr. Sugiyama is a
world-class musician who soon afterwards won the tuba position in the
Cleveland Symphony Orchestra.This
leaves serious questions about why he was fired in
Vienna
.Claims that there is a
specialized style of Viennese tuba playing, and that he could not assimilate
it, would border on the absurd.

A Statistical Overview (a side bar)

A general statistical overview vividly illustrates the extreme imbalances
in the orchestra's employment practices after ten years:

The
m/f ratio for the Vienna Philharmonic is 136 to 1.

The
m/f ratio for regular positions in the Staatsoper
Orchestra is 144 to 4.

The
ratio for people of color in the Staatsoper
Orchestra is 147 to 1.

The
rate of firings for women is 33%, over six times higher than for
men.

Over
ten times as many men have obtained permanent
positions in the State OperaOrchestra since it began admitting women.

Over
20 times as many men have completed the tenure requirement
necessary to enter the Vienna Philharmonic.

The
rate of firings for people of color is 50%.

Women
represent less than 1% of the Vienna Philharmonic, but 40% of the
National Orchestra of France, The Zurich State Opera, and the New
York Philharmonic.[9]

Who Are the Women?

Here is a breakdown of the six women who were hired and their status:

Julie Palloc was hired in 1999 to replace harpist Anna Lelkes.
She did not pass her trial year and was fired in 2000. After playing with
the orchestra for only a few weeks, her harpist colleague, Xavier de
Maistre, declared her unfit for the Vienna Philharmonic. After half a year
in the orchestra -instead of the usual year-the Trial Year Jury met and
fired her. In reality, she is a world-class harpist who now has a
permanent contract with the famous Zurich State Opera.

Charlotte Balzereit won a harp audition in September 2001.
She became the only woman member of the Vienna Philharmonic in 2004 - a
status she still holds. (As noted, the orchestra has always used women
harpists, so Balzereit's position does not represent significant change.)

Ursula Plaichinger won a viola audition for the Vienna State
Opera on February 14, 2001. She became the first non-harpist woman to
enter the orchestra in its history. In a highly irregular move, her
audition was held before there was an actual viola opening in the
orchestra, so she had to wait for over a year before entering the
ensemble. The orchestra seems to have wanted credit for hiring a woman
without having her actually begin playing in the ensemble. In 2005, Ms.
Plaichinger then took a leave of absence and returned in 2006. Due to her
delayed entry, and the leave of absence, she only recently completed the
three year tenure requirement necessary to enter the Vienna Philharmonic,
but she has not applied for membership. When asked why not, she said, even
so she feels she's a full member of the orchestra. At this point, her
membership has been stalled by two years.

Ursula Wex won a cello audition for the Vienna State Opera
Orchestra in early 2003. She later took maternity leave, and after the
birth has been temporarily working one-third the normal number of
services. It is not known if the leave will be deducted from her tenure,
so the date of her entry into the Philharmonic remains uncertain.

Isabelle Callieret won a first violin audition for the Vienna
State Opera Orchestra in December 2004 and began working in 2005. If there
are no delays, she will become a member of the Vienna Philharmonic in
2008.

Ms. XXX won a first violin audition in December 2004. She
did not pass her trial year at the Staatsoper and has been fired,
effective at the end of this season.

Both Ms. Wex and Ms. Plaichinger frequently substituted in the Staatsoper
before their auditions, and were well-known to the orchestra. There is concern
that the ensemble might have selected these women in anticipation that they
would delay their entry into the Vienna Philharmonic. With one third of the
women fired, and one third whose entry has been delayed, 66% of the women
engaged have so far been prevented from entering the Vienna Philharmonic. That
leaves a balance after ten years of only one woman member, or 136 to 1,
exactly the same ratio as ten years ago.

In this regard, it should be mentioned that a screen is used during the
orchestra's auditions, but that it is removed during the last round. The
ensemble believes it is important to see what musicians look like while they
play. The visual criteria is very undefined. In most interviews, the
orchestra intentionally leaves the false impression that the screen is used
for all rounds.

It is also notable that the Austrian Federal Government provides a yearly
subsidy to the Vienna Philharmonic of 2.2 million Euros (2.9 million
dollars.) In addition, it also owns and operates the Vienna State Opera,
a cultural institution that has openly practiced gender and racial
discrimination for over half a century. The statistics illustrate that these
practices continue. The Austrian Federal Government is thus openly breaking
both its own and European law.

Part II: The Woman Who Was Too Visible

To better understand the gender culture of the Vienna State Opera
Orchestra/Vienna Philharmonic, it is worthwhile to look at the Trial
Year of Ms. XXX. (Pic below.) Her experiences illustrate how token women are
often treated in sexist institutions. They also suggest that the orchestra's internal
gender dynamics have become considerably more mixed and
complex than ten years ago, even if they have not resulted in significant
changes in the m/f ratios.

Ms. XXX won her audition for first violin in the Vienna State Opera
Orchestra on December 23, 2004. She became only the fourth non-harpist woman
in history to enter the ensemble. New musicians in the orchestra begin with a
one year trial period, after which a series of votes are
held to determine if
they will be given a permanent contract, dismissed, or receive a second trial
year.

The first vote takes place only among the members of the candidate's
section -- in Ms. XXX's case, the first violins. A second vote is held
shortly afterwards by a more formal Trial Year Jury comprised of twenty-six
people taken from each section of the orchestra. The members of this jury are
to observe the candidate throughout the Trial Year.

Ms. XXX's Trial Year Jury consisted of two concertmasters, six first
violins, three players from the other string sections, one member from each of
the wind sections, and one member from the percussion section. A two thirds
majority in each vote is required for the candidate to receive a permanent
contract or trial year extension.[10]

Divided Views

The first violin's vote for Ms. XXX was held in early June, 2006 by placing anonymous
ballots in a box in the orchestra's office. The results were evenly divided: 5
for a permanent contract, 6 for dismissal, and 7 for a second trial year. An
additional 7 of the section's 25 members were not present for the vote. Some
of these colleagues were abroad, some did not have services during the ballot
period, and others did not know a vote was being held. Later events suggest
that most of the missing seven would likely have voted for a second trial
year. Their absence seems to have considerably altered the outcome.

The divided and incomplete vote among the first violins strongly influenced
the vote of the twenty-six member Trial Year Jury, which was held on June 9,
2006. The wind players in the
orchestra have little specialized knowledge of string playing. It is also
difficult to observe players in other sections when you are occupied with your
own part in an often distant area of the stage. These problems leave Trial
Year Juries susceptible to determined opponents within the candidate's own
section. An avalanche effect is set in motion. The Trial Year Jury's vote came
to five for confirmation, and twenty-one for dismissal.

In cases of dismissal, the Trial Year Jury holds another vote to determine
if the candidate should be given a second trial year. Before this vote was
taken, a discussion was held. Both of the concertmasters in the Trial Year
Jury, Rainer Küchl and Werner Hink, spoke in Ms. XXX's favor. She was
also openly supported by three of the six members from the first violin
section, Daniel Froschauer, Herbert Linke, and Manfred Kuhn.

Two members of the first violin section chose to remain neutral, Martin
Kubik and Milan Ŝetena. Only one violinist on the jury criticized
Ms. XXX,
Martin Zalodek, who felt she played too loudly, thus overshadowing him and
others. Mr. Zalodek was joined by Dieter Flury, the orchestra's solo flutist
and Business Director, who sits directly behind Ms. XXX in the ensemble.
He said he also thought she played too loudly.

The Troubling Past

The motives for these rather generalized criticisms might deserve closer
examination. In an interview in 1996 with the West German State Radio, Mr.
Flury strongly defended the Vienna Philharmonic's exclusion of women and
people of color.[11] He described the ensemble's policies as "racist and
sexist irritations" that should be accepted to protect the musical
character of the orchestra:

"From the beginning we have spoken of the special Viennese qualities,
of the way music is made here. The way we make music here is not only a
technical ability, but also something that has a lot to do with the soul. The
soul does not let itself be separated from the cultural roots that we have
here in central Europe. And it also doesn't allow itself to be separated from
gender.

"So if one thinks that the world should function by quota regulations,
then it is naturally irritating that we are a group of white skinned male
musicians, that perform exclusively the music of white skinned male composers.
It is a racist and sexist irritation. I believe one must put it that way. If
one establishes superficial egalitarianism, one will lose something very
significant. Therefore, I am convinced that it is worthwhile to accept this
racist and sexist irritation, because something produced by a superficial
understanding of human rights would not have the same standards."

"Superficial understandings" or not, the Vienna State Opera
Orchestra can
no longer exclude women, though some members still feel their presence should
be kept to a minimum. Mr. Flury was prepared to accept another woman
candidate, Isabelle Callieret, but insisted Ms. XXX must go.

In the same interview with the West German State Radio, second violinist
Helmut Zehetner, noted that the orchestra has a special "emotional
unity" as an all-male ensemble that lends its music superior qualities.
He was asked about the possible entry of women, and expressed similar concerns
about how noticeable they might be:

"We have a male harpist, and two ladies. If you ask how noticeable the
gender is with these colleagues, my personal experience is that this
instrument is so far at the edge of the orchestra that it doesn't disturb our
emotional unity, the unity I would strongly feel, for example, when the
orchestra starts really cooking with a Mahler symphony. There, I sense very
strongly and simply that only men sit around me. And as I said, I would not
want to gamble with this unity."

In actual practice, even sitting at the edge of the orchestra was not fully
adequate to keep their harpist, Anna Lelkes, from disturbing their sense of unity.
The orchestra made every effort to keep her invisible. Only
her hands were allowed to be shown during television broadcasts, her name was
not included in programs, and she was excluded from most of the orchestra's
official photos. In some cases, she even wore a gown made to look like a Frach.

Fears about the loss of an undefined "emotional unity" seem to
still work against women in the orchestra. If Ms. XXX were in the least
way too noticeable, she might have disturbed a sense of common identity more
seriously than she realized, especially sitting near the center of the
ensemble. (Pic: Ms. XXX seated near the center of the
orchestra (on the left side of this photo). Note flutist Dieter Flury
directly behind her.)

Putting Alibis On A Pedestal

The orchestra also appears to be following patterns of tokenism common to
sexist organizations. The few women in the ensemble, such as Ms. Callieret,
will be used as alibis to rationalize the exclusion, abuse, and expulsion of
other women. This also allows for the astoundingly low rate of employment, and
the 33% dismissal rate.

Due to Mr. Flury's position as the orchestra's Business Director, and his
many years of service in the ensemble, his criticism of Ms. XXX carried
considerable weight with the other wind players. The possible prejudice
indicated by his past statements were not considered. The vote to extend the
trial period was evenly divided, thirteen to thirteen.

Without the two-thirds majority to confirm a second trial year, Ms. XXX was given notice that she would be fired at the end of the season,
effective August 1, 2007. Her name is still on the personnel roster of the
Vienna State Opera's website, but it was quickly removed from the Vienna
Philharmonic's, where she was listed as an associate awaiting tenure, along
with 17 other members of the State Opera Orchestra.[12]

Concerns About the Vote: "We Let Her Run Aground"

The day after the vote, there were serious concerns about the results,
which were not anticipated by most of the first violins. Martin Kubik (one of
the two first violinists who had chosen to remain neutral during the Trial
Year Jury's discussions) wrote an open letter stating that even though the
vote was properly run, it would be a shame to lose a violinist of Ms. XXX's quality. He wrote that a more considered and complete vote should
be held that might grant her a second trial year, because:

"…in the end we will also be testing the human qualities of our
section. I sense from many of us a discomfort about this Jury's decision. […]
We have all had the experience, that much of what one should have said to a
candidate during the Trial Year, is only brought to light during the final
considerations. Briefly stated: We let her run aground."

Mr. Kubik's letter met with wide-spread agreement in the first violin
section. Twenty-one of its twenty-five members co-signed it, including all
four concertmasters. These developments also highlight the problem that seven
of the first violins had not been included in the first vote. A more complete
and considered ballot was deemed necessary.

The letter also stressed that Ms. XXX had not been informed of any
problems, and thus had no opportunity to correct them. Each new member of the
Vienna State Opera Orchestra is assigned a mentor who serves as their coach
during the trial year. Ms. XXX's coach was first violinist, Hubert
Kroisammer. Normally any serious complaints are mentioned to the coach who
works with the musician to remedy the problems. No complaints were made to Mr.
Kroisammer during the entire Trial Year.

If Ms. XXX played too loudly or didn't adequately blend-in, this would
have represented an obvious problem that would have inevitably been raised
long before the ballot. Due to these concerns, the petition was presented to Orchestra Manager,
Werner Resel, who was asked to arrange a new vote, but he refused. He did not
give any reasons. Shortly afterwards, he hung a letter on the wall of the
violin's dressing room reiterating his refusal to hold a new vote, and
forbidding any further discussion.

Those familiar with the Vienna Philharmonic will remember that Mr. Resel,
now 71 years old, was Chairman of the orchestra in 1997 when international
protests led it to begin admitting women. (pic at right.) He vociferously opposed the entry of
females, and even suggested that the orchestra disband rather than accept
them.[13] At one point, when asked about the lack of women in the orchestra,
he justified the policy with the explanation that, "The Vienna
Philharmonic is an orchestra of white men that plays music by white men for
white people".[14]

Mr. Resel retired in 2000, but in September 2006 he was appointed to a
purely administrative position as Orchestra Manager by Ioan Holender, the
Director of the Vienna State Opera.[15] Since Mr. Resel is now the Orchestra
Manager, he also allows himself to once again play in the ensemble when
occasion arises.

Forbidden Solutions

Since a new vote was blocked, several of Ms. XXX's colleagues
suggested she play in the audition being held to replace her on December 20,
2006. All auditions at that level are extremely difficult, but musicians can
sometimes win their position a second time. In fact, this double testing is a
situation where women all too often find themselves.[16]

Ms. XXX reapplied, but Mr. Resel would not accept her application.
Again, he did not give any reasons. Two colleagues, Herr Kroisammer and
Concertmaster Hink, were invited to consult with him on the acceptance of new
applications, but when Ms. XXX's appeared he simply put it in the
rejection stack without any comment or discussion.

One reason might have been the Staatsoper's policy of not accepting
applicants over 35. The orchestra feels that musicians past that age do not
have the flexibility to adapt to the ensemble. Ms. XXX had in the
meantime turned 37.

And to remove any confusion, Mr. Resel also authored new audition rules --
referred to in German as the Probespielordnung. In the lugubrious and
oppressive tone of official civil service German, it states that anyone who
does not pass a Trial Year has to wait three years before re-auditioning.[17]
The new audition rules were presented on November 30, 2006, but by making them
retroactive to November 7th, Mr. Resel eliminated the possibility that Ms. XXX
could re-audition.

Some of the concerned musicians suggested that the Trial Year Jury could
circumvent Mr. Resel's blockades by holding a re-vote about Ms. XXX on
December 20th, 2006, since they would all be together again for the audition
to replace her. They did not realize that Mr. Resel was a step ahead of them.
He had added yet another clause to the Probespielordnung that declared
re-votes "inadmissable."[18] The new Probespielordnung had been
approved by the union, but they did not know that some of the additions were
apparently designed for specific agendas.

The age argument about the presumed inflexibility of musicians over 35 is
also notably ironic, and not only because Ms. XXX is already playing in
the orchestra. Why would the 71 year old Mr. Resel, whose views would seem
anachronistic, be considered flexible enough to be the Orchestra Manager,
while Ms. XXX at 37 would be considered ossified? And how much adaptation
would be necessary on Ms. XXX's part? The petition presented illustrated
that 21 of the 25 first violins feel she could likely adapt if she were simply
given a chance to react to the criticisms made against her.

Due to the many obstacles, there were few other avenues for Ms. XXX.
The orchestra has an Administrative Board (Betriebsrat) --comprised of Michael Bladerer,
Gottfried Martin, and Hans Moser-- but they are friends and allies of Mr. Resel.
The orchestra's General Music Director, Seiji Ozawa, has been bedridden in
Japan for months fighting serious illness, so he has little or no knowledge of
the situation. And it was generally assumed that the Director of the Opera,
Iaon Holender, who appointed Mr. Resel, would support him, almost as a
question of honor.

People in and outside of the orchestra began to question why Mr. Holender
would appoint a Manager who had spoken so strongly against the inclusion of
women, and especially in an ensemble that is clearly having trouble accepting
them. This did not seem to be an issue for Mr. Holender. In 2000, he even gave
Mr. Resel a rare official title as "Doyen of the Vienna State
Opera."[19]

The Orchestra Is Once Again Scrutinized

In mid November the orchestra became aware that it was once again being
closely scrutinized. Earlier in the month, a journalist working for Der
Spiegel (something like the Time Magazine of Germany,) and a journalist
working for a very large daily in Helsinki, contacted me because they were
planning articles about women in orchestras. They also wanted to include
information about the balance in the Vienna Philharmonic after ten years. I
provided them with detailed information about the lack of change in the
orchestra and a detailed report about Ms. XXX. Both journalists began
interviewing musicians and administrators in the Vienna State Opera. (Their
stories have not yet appeared.)

In early November, my colleague in Vienna, Regina Himmelbauer, also
contacted Dr. Wolfgang Zinggl, the Cultural Speaker for the Green Party in the
Austrian Federal Parliament. Dr. Zinggl initiated an investigation of his own,
and in late November began releasing information to the press. He presented
his findings in a news conference on December 11, 2006, which included a six
page press release detailing the current status of women in the orchestra, and
summarizing the experiences of Ms. XXX. He described Mr. Resel's past
stance opposing women, and said that naming him the Orchestra Manager was what
he would call "making the goat the gardener." (Pic:
Wolfgang Zinggl.)

On the same day, one of Vienna's most respected papers, Der Standard,
published an article about the orchestra. It included an interview with the
Chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic, Clemens Hellsberg.[20] (Pic
below.) He assured the paper that there was no discrimination in the Vienna
Philharmonic. He also explained that no one would be hired for
"non-artistic" reasons, and that he could therefore not say when
women would have a representation in the orchestra similar to those found in
most others. The article ended with his observation that, "Every thought
about quotas is against the spirit of art." (One might wonder, however,
which quotas he is referring to, since the ten-year balance in the
Philharmonic is still 136 to 1.)

The Austrian Press Agency also released a
two page report about the orchestra containing similar material. And on
December 12, 2006 they released a chronology highlighting some of the main
events of the orchestra's gender problems over the last 12 years. [21]

At 10:30 that evening, Austrian State Television's "Treffpunkt Kultur"
also presented a feature about the recent developments.[22] And most
importantly, they included an interview with the Director of the State Opera,
Ioan Holender, that completely turned the situation on its head. (Pic
below.)

Referring to the new Probespielordnung, Mr. Holender said in plain and
colorful terms, "One can't present something on November 30th and make it
applicable retroactively to the 7th of November. That stinks." He added
that the new rules would only become effective in January 2007 and not
earlier, noting that, "…if some have decided this will happen earlier,
I will change that. Here [in the opera house], I definitely do not make-up
rules for the occasion." (Pic: Iaon Holender.)

At the end of the broadcast, the moderator noted that the in the meantime
the new Probespielordnung had been "completely tossed out."
It was
determined that "one-sided changes based on employee interests made them
invalid."

Since the new rules have been declared invalid,
it appears that new vote might be held to determine if Ms. XXX will be given a second Trial Year. If so, it will most likely
be during the audition to replace her, on December 20th. It is not possible to
predict the outcome.

An Urgent Need for an Alibi

During his investigation in early December, Dr. Zinggl spoke with the State
Opera Orchestra's woman violist, Ursula Plaichinger. She said that due to
increased activity by the press, she had recently received several phone calls
from colleagues encouraging her to quickly apply for membership in
the Vienna Philharmonic. The orchestra seemed to feel it could now use an alibi to
rationalize the lack of progress over the last ten years. It is thus possible
that in the next few weeks, Ms. Plaichinger will become the first non-harpist
woman in history to become a member of the Vienna Philharmonic.

People should not, however, think Ms. Plaichinger's possible appointment
will represent significant change. If she is made a member, the event will
likely be for the sake of public relations. Women and people of color will continue to face strong discrimination in the Vienna State Opera
Orchestra/Vienna Philharmonic.

On the other hand, it is apparent that the orchestra's internal dynamics are far more mixed and complex than they were ten years ago. It is
encouraging that leaders in the orchestra and administration have apparently
moved Ms. XXX's situation in a more positive direction (though Wolfgang
Zinggl feels these changes might only be a delaying tactic.) Whatever the case,
in an ensemble with the Vienna Philharmonic's past, careful consideration
about the engagement of women would be in order.

On both sides of the Atlantic, much lip-service has been given to change in
the Vienna Philharmonic, but ten years after opening its doors, the orchestra
still has only one woman harpist as a member, and only one person of color. We
see that actions speak louder than words. And we see that tokenism does not
disguise sexism and racism, even for those in denial.

+++++++

UPDATE,
December 15, 2006. As might
be expected, further internal conflicts have evolved at the Staatsoper since
this report was posted three days ago.The
Chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic, Clemens Hellsberg, along with the
Administrative Board of the Staatsoper Orchestra, are working to prevent Ms. XXX
from being allowed re-audition. Any thought of a revote by the
Trial Year Jury seems completely gone.

The only avenue for Ms. XXX would be to re-audition before a jury where a part of the members
entirely oppose her.Since the new
Probespielordung will not be in effect until 2007, Ms. XXX's
opponents will have to find new methods to exclude her from auditioning a
second time, if she decides to try.

Apparently, Iaon Holender no longer trusts the orchestra manager, Mr.Resel,
and prefers to work with the orchestra Inspektor. This was also clearly
implied in the ORF program on Monday.There
are rumors that Clemens Hellsberg is speaking with high-level politicians to
prevent Mr. Holender from doing anything to intervene on Ms. XXX’s
behalf.

On Monday, Martin Kubik (the violinist who wrote the open letter last June
suggesting a revote for Ms. XXX) was going to give an interview to
ORF, but he was angrily prevented by Clemens Hellsberg. He was dressed
down by Mr. Hellsberg, who then took him back stage for a long talk that took
most of the rehearsal pause.In effect, Mr. Kubik was threatened into silence.There seems little hope Ms. XXX will be able to remain in the
orchestra.

ENDNOTES
[1] For a general description of the protests see: Jan Herman, "Taking On
the Vienna Philharmonic" (MSNBC Website, January 20, 2000.) A copy is on
the web at:
< http://www.osborne-conant.org/Taking-on.htm >

[2] The personnel roster of the Vienna Philharmonic is here: http://www.wienerphilharmoniker.at/index.php?set_language=de&cccpage=musicians

[3] The personnel roster of the Staatsoper Orchestra can be found here:
http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Content.Node2/home/haus/5330.php# The total
number of members in the Staatsoper is higher than Vienna Philharmonic's
because 18 of the musicians are still fulfilling the three year tenure
requirement to become "Philharmonikern." Three of the 148 positions
in the Opera orchestra remain unfilled.)

[4] According to the Austrian magazine profil, there were already 24 new
hires between 1997 and 2003, which comes to an average of 4 per year. See:
Peter Schneeberger, "The Two Percent Society", profil (February 24,
2003). If this same rate has been maintained, around 40 positions have been
filled in the last ten years. It is not unusual for an orchestra with 148
members to have to replace 3 or 4 musicians a year. The numbers have also been
compounded by a large wave of retirements. An estimate between 30 and 40 new
positions is thus very reasonable. Journalists, scholars, and members of the
Austrian Parliament are pressing the Opera to release the exact numbers. When
they do, I will update this report with exact percentages.

[5] See: "Frauenquoten an der Universität für Musik und darstellende
Kunst," Arbeitskreis für Gleichbehandlungsfragen (Wien", June 2006)
available on the web at:
< http://www.mdw.ac.at/ORGO6/html/Statistik_2006.pdf >
For a discussion of the student body, see: Elena Ostleitner, Liebe, Lust, Last
und Lied (Wien, Bundesministerium fuer Unterricht und Kunst, 1995) See also
the report of the Parlimentary Inquiry of the Austrian Federal Government
(4696/J XX.GP) dated July 9, 1998, available on the web at:
<http://www.osborne-conant.org/anfrage.htm>

[7] For more information see: William Osborne, "The Special
Characteristics of the Vienna Philharmonic's Racial Ideology", (December
31, 1999) at:
< http://www.osborne-conant.org/ posts/special.htm > See also: William
Osborne, "The Image of Purity: The Racial Ideologies of the Vienna
Philharmonic in Historical Perspective" at: < http://www.osborne-conant.org/purity.htm
>

[12] The personnel roster of the Staatsoper Orchestra can be found here:
http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Content.Node2/home/haus/5330.php# And for
comparison, the personnel roster of the Vienna Philharmonic here: <http://www.wienerphilharmoniker.at/index.php?set_language=de&cccpage=musicians>